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48 carlos88 - Sarabande (from Pour le Piano), DebussyCarlos, it sounds like those "increasingly discouraging" lessons have borne fruit. This piece is not one of my favorites, but you play it very nicely indeed.

50 BillM - Georgia On My Mind, Carmichael and GorrellWell done, Bill. Your version of this wonderful song is very relaxed.

51 Pavel.K - Nocturne 21 in C minor posth., ChopinVery beautiful, Pavel. You are really amazing for only a year (of self study at that).

52 Allard - To Zanarkand, Nobuo UematsuYhis is another amazing one year performance. You do a great job on this, Allard.

53 MileHiSteve - Stagg Brew. Hilary StaggI must admit being unfamiliar with Stagg's work, but I like what I'm hearing. I think the sound you used fits the melodies well. You did a great job on the arrangement.

54 aTallGuyNH - Just The Way You Are, Billy JoelI will admit to having playe this in the past, and I like your version. Nice job. All you people who sound this good after a year (or less in your case) make me want to puke. Obviously you've worked hard. It shows.

A big FIST BUMP for all those working behind the scenes to bring these (and past) recitals to fruition - this awesome tradition wouldn't be here if not for the hard work in the past and now for each and every recital!

I give a general "Thanks!" to all who listened to my recital piece. Only my kids (when they were very young) heard me sing, and that was on guitar, and just a silly couple of songs, mostly a silly ABC song. I can't sing and was not meant to. Only in this friendly environment within the ABF could I feel comfortable enough to croak out a silly song, record it (somewhat ) , and put it on display.

As a side note, I only sang my piece to my wife after I was convinced I would submit this for this recital. So, if not for this forum, she would have never heard it - it would have been put down quickly and without mercy!

So anyway, I'm grateful to all, and especially those who took the time to comment:

Originally Posted By: aTallGuyNH

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For YouThis is one of my favorites so far. I love love love the bridge. And the final verse, uh yeah -- that's my life too, especially the "children that always fight" part... I swear, if I said to them, "listen, you have a choice to go out for ice cream, or go to a movie, or go swimming, or fight", they'd pick the fight every time. Or so it seems.

Back to the song... The arc of the song from the fantasy at the beginning, to the bridge that is actually taking us somewhere (unlike so many songs where the bridge is there because a song is supposed to have a bridge, so they stick something in there and call it a bridge even though it isn't actually serving the purpose of a bridge at all -- i.e. taking us from one place to another where we couldn't go otherwise).

So your bridge takes us to reality, and when we get there I'm chuckling. But then, we get to the end, you jump up an octave and we're into this sweet, music box like quality. To me, it says "this reality, unromantic as it might be on the face of it, is real and..." the part after that I can't even really put into words. It's a feeling that the reality is ultimately so much more satisfying and rich than the plastic fantasy at the beginning.

You have something here... a real talent (I'm saying this also based on hearing "The Secretary" a couple times today, and finding it to be quite moving given its context) that involves creating something that goes way beyond assembling chords and a melody. It's fun and yet profound at the same time. That's impressive.

I appreciate the comment and the time you took to delve beneath the surface of this. My first comment for this and most meaningful!

Originally Posted By: Saranoya

BenPiano -- Hi, Ben! Do you know that I actually discovered PianoWorld through you? I was watching one of your YouTube videos, in search of new music to tackle, and it said in the description that you had recorded it for an ABF recital at PianoWorld. Which brought me here. So thanks! Also, I'm in awe of your YouTube piano diary. The number and level of pieces you have on there would in itself be impressive, given that you haven't even been playing four years, but on top of that, all of your performances are polished to a very high degree. This will be another fine addition to the list. And if *I* was getting goosebumps listening to this, your wife must have been positively floored!

I'm very happy to have brought you here to the ABF and to give you goosebumps as well!

Originally Posted By: Mr Super-Hunky

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You This was great Ben. Your description made this tune even better. I applaud you for having the courage to sing along and must say you should ABSOLUTLY continue to play and sing together because this tune was very well received. It sounded like the nice theme music that you hear on tv shows and the quality was equally as good. I'm VERY impressed with this performance for all kinds of reasons.

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You: This is one of my favorites of the recital, but not because of the piano. (Though, I rush to add, I enjoyed the piano part of it a lot.) It’s the lyrics, though, that stand out to me: The first couple of mushy romantic verses, followed by the punch line of real-life love and marriage (“Children that always fight/ Pizza on Saturday night”). Sheer comic genius!

I'm glad you could connect with this!

Originally Posted By: Sam S

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You You have a great voice! What do you mean you just "learned how" to sing and play at the same time? I've been trying to do that for years but failing miserably. Great job.

I played 4 chords on guitar for so long that I learned to sing along with them. This piece isn't much different that the rhythm mimics guitar strumming - something I can relate with.

Sam- with your ability and patience, you could totally sing while playing!

Originally Posted By: SwissMS

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You What a touching gift for your wife! You have real talent. It is a very touching song well played and sung!

Originally Posted By: casinitaly

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Ben how can you call yourself a shlub? Seriously. I bet your wife is delighted with her song! I enjoyed this, especially about half way through where the bass started “rockin’” a bit more. Most enjoyable!

Originally Posted By: Peyton

BenPiano- Great Ben! I bet your wife loved it.

Originally Posted By: jazzwee

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Very pretty song and your voice fits perfectly for it. Such a treat and absolutely enjoyable!

Thank you all for being nice. I'll continue in the future to stay quiet and just try to hit hit the right notes!

Originally Posted By: BillM

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You This was fun! I just wished the vocal was a little louder. I’m sure you got major points for this.

Originally Posted By: Allard

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Nope, can't understand your mumbling Or rather, your voice is too soft compared to the piano. Nothing a little technology can't fix. Nice song.

Originally Posted By: jazztpt

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Loved the feel you get on this Ben, reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel,the vocal was a tad quiet though but I could a hear a good in tune voice there, a very enjoyable listen.

Sigh - I have no idea how to record piano and vocal - this was really a learning experience!

Originally Posted By: AimeeO

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Wow… you can sing and play at the same time. That alone puts me in awe of you. That song is just fantastic. Your wife is a lucky lady!

Originally Posted By: CarlosCC

32. BenPiano - I bet your wife is very proud! It is a beautiful declaration of love. I do not know how you can do it composing, writing and singing ... I think this is all very difficult. Good job!

Originally Posted By: Inlanding

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You This is such a treat! I think it's a fantastic tribute to your wife and to the fact you learned to sing while accompanying yourself in such a short time is a tribute to your talent. Great job,

Originally Posted By: Greener

[b]32 BenPiano - All of These Things For You This is very easy and pleasant listen. You have a nice voice. Nice job in keeping the accompaniment interesting without interfering with the vocal. Nice recording and well done.

Thank you, my wife is a lucky lady - not because of me!

Originally Posted By: Andy Platt

32. BenPiano - All of These Things For You Wow, another professional. So forget about taking lessons, I think you need to give them. This was an amazingly well crafted song and beautifully performed song. Very nice playing, just a perfect accompaniment. Wonderful, simply wonderful.

Thank you!

Originally Posted By: Pavel.K

32 BenPiano - Wow, what a lovely song, you are a great poet, composer, player, singer. Iam﻿ sure this was valentine a lot﻿ of women dream of :-) And it is the first time I hear iPad 2 in a song :-))) Instant subscription of your channel!

Richard's playing is fantastic. Really engaging, flowing along with a lightness of touch, like a sleek little sailing boat progressing down some really interesting river into an estuary. I've listened to Richard's recording time and again, and will continue to do so.

What really delighted me in all the feedback I received was that so many were able to notice improvement in my playing and that so many commented on the pure "fun" of this piece.

It gave me a special little thrill to think that I'd truly been able to entertain - for however brief a moment - such a great group of musicians!

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

Jazzwee, Beechcrasft409, Tx-Dennis, Amaruk, FarmGirl, Jazzpt, Pavel.K, Gandalf, and MaryBee - Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and comment. Your encouragement really fuels my desire to keep trying to improve. Also thanks to everyone who offered well wishes.

Realize I haven't responded to any of the comments on my submission. Thanks everyone for listening! I know the piece is a bit above my skill level, but with almost a year of experience on the piece, it is at least managable. It's easy to spot that I have only recently even begun to tackle the fast arpeggio part near the end. Probably going to take another year there.

jazzwee, Peyton: I'm curious, did you listen to the mp3 or the video? I always practised on my digital, where one might just put a brick to the pedal and sound reasonable. Have to adjust a lot for the acoustic.

Saranoya: dankuwel! It's funny; until you posted your comment, I just thought your name was a misspelled "sayonara". Took a while to sink in that Sara might be a female's name

BenPiano: what's next? Why, buying a piano, of course, and making it familiar! I bought a baby grand from the same brand. Will probably try to get a new recording in once it is tuned.

Kenjazz: well, there are dynamic indications in the score and I've listened to the original many times. Since it's such a dramatic piece the dynamics are easy to notice. Still hard to reproduce everywhere. The original uses the soft pedal at some points, but there is no way I can control the left foot while still focussing on both hands and the right foot.

BillM: I was sitting on a piano bench, with the iPad on a chair right beside me. Couldn't get a better angle. I prefer the mp3 too, thanks. It's much cleaner, although the one hard part is a total mess. The piano sounded out of tune, huh? I thought it sounded pretty nice. Guess the other pianos in the shop were even worse.

Cheryl: aww, but the mp3 was better played. Glad you liked the video too.

Richard: my sister has a very uncompromising ear. She can pick up most songs by ear and will spot any mistake I might make. *sigh* ... must do better!

Mr Super-Hunky: I'm not sure what a "rolling chord" is. Can you explain what you mean and how you'd like those initial chords to sound?

CarlosCC: Final Fantasy's music, especially the piano collections, was one of the major reasons I started piano lessons. I hope to be able to play the harder pieces some day.

Pavel.K: I was the only person in the room at the time of recording, so that helped a little bit

AimeeO: nice to hear from others who enjoyed that game The music from Final Fantasy is quite something, isn't it?

_________________________
David Lanz - Dark HorseYiruma - River Flows In You

Thank you to all who took the time to listen and acknowledge my submission. I am grateful for your encouragement.

So much fine music shared from around the globe. It's great to be part of it.

35. Richard (zrtf90) - Notturno Op. 54 No. 4 This is quite a story you tell with this piece. I don't know much about Grieg's music, but your introduction to him with this wonderful composition fabulous interpretation. It's clear you are listening to the music as you play, really connecting. Thank you for sharing your music.

36. Yamaha G3 & P-80, Mike White - Album Leaf Mike, this is spectacular! Another fine presentation from you. You play this so patiently - beautifully.

37. Ken. - Let's Cool One Monk's melodies are wonderful and you play this one with a great deal of care.

38. FarmGirl - Brahms 118 #2 Very complicated music. Very powerfully played and a fine interpretation.

39. Mar_red - The Shadow of Your Smile & Misty - Medley. Very excellent renditions of those two popular standards. One of the hardest things is making correct changes in time. You clearly listen to a lot of jazz and have a great ability to allow those influences on your fine playing.

40. Jazzwee - Stella by Starlight With each e-cital, I hear an increased maturity in your playing, more patient and more time spent listening to where you freely want to go. Great work, indeed.

41. Saranoya - Menuett in F Thank you for the live recital from your local pub. This is beautiful playing and I look forward to hearing more of it in the next e-cital.

42. windywindy - Waltz in A Minor KK IVb/11 From your interpretation of what you call a simple Chopin piece, you have some fantastic skills. It might be easy to play, but not so easy to play well - you did a fantastic ob. You bring out the moods very nicely in each section.

43. lyricmudra - Melodie from the Opera 'Orfeo' This is such a difficult piece to put together and give it meaning as a whole story and you did this so beautifully. This is one of my all-time favorite melodies. You express the subtleties so sensitively. Bravo!!

44. Sam S - Arabeske Op. 18 This is somewhat an epic Schumann piece. Amazing concentration to play this so beautifully for all ten and a half minutes. This is a fabulous interpretation - I like the slower tempo you chose.

46. Kenjazz - My Romance I always enjoy Rodgers and Hart melodies. You play wonderfully with the virtual combo, Ken. Very confident playing. I always enjoy your interpretations and this is no exception.

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today This is my first exposure to Khachaturian with these e-citals. You handle the voices quite nicely. You play with very relaxed hands and it shows in your music. Great work!

49. GrouchoMarx - Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 Fabulous in every way! Rachmaninov would be quite pleased, especially considering the fact you've been playing for three years!! Such good work.

50. BillM - Georgia On My Mind I like how you decided to not makes this sound as much bluesy and played it pretty straight up. Your voice and delivery fits the piece wonderfully. No shortage of fine renditions coming from your living room. This is another really fine piece, Bill.

51. Pavel.K - Nocturne 21 in C minor posth. Simply amazing you've been playing a bit longer than a year with no lessons and can bring out such beauty in this Nocturne. Very impressive. Look forward to hearing more from you for sure.

52. Allard - To Zanarkand Incredible you are playing like this after a little longer than a year! I am sure the folks at the piano dealer enjoyed the live performance. Look forward to more of your music.

53. MileHi Steve - Stagg Brew Fabulous, Steve! I like the voice you chose on your electric to play your fine arrangement of the harp music. It gives a really nice feel to it. You've got some fine skills, indeed.

54. aTallGuyNH - Just The Way You Are Fabulous arrangement of one of Billy Joel's most popular songs. I like the idea you put together several arrangements and made one of your own. I am amazed you've been playing less than year to play this with such confidence and enthusiasm. My only suggestion would be to play more deeply into the keys and be patient with your own playing. It'll be great to hear more of your playing in future e-citals!

55. Aimee O - Sonatina in G You play Beethoven with such a good sense of tempo and minimal pedal to bring out his best. You go from one movement to the next with such ease. This is Beethoven presented in fine style.

I realise that I'm running very late with my responses. Hope that I'll be able to comment on the rest of you by the end of the week.

11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor This is by no means an easy piece to play. I enjoyed your performance, and I’m not sure if I would play it much faster than you do.

12. Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf' A lovely song, very appealing and well played.

13. Peyton - After All I appreciate the clarity of your performance. Composing a piece like this requires considerable creativity.

14. joangolfing - Grieg Waltz Op.12 I particularly noticed the good phrasing of the melody. This is essential in all Grieg’s music.

15. Greener / Jeff Green - Moments Musicaux - A flat major; Opus 94 No. 6 This is a fine piece with beautiful harmonies. You play in a very expressive way, and make out many fine details.

16. Riddler (Ed) - Reflections in D I have several times already said that I’m not a Jazz player myself, but admire people who can perform that kind of music. I particularly enjoyed your performance, and if I had time I would seriously consider learning the piece myself.

17. Monica K. - Just Because I Love You You bring out the melody very well and play the piece cleanly. I enjoyed your performance.

18. ladypayne - Improv in G minor Real improvisation? I’m impressed.

19. Jake S - Fur Elise Well done! You have been very focused during your one year learning period.

20. Serge88 - Fly Me To The Moon It was very nice for me to hear again this melody from good old days. Good rhythm and well played.

21. Teodor - Donnie Darko - The Artifact and the Living This was a piece with character and very nice to listen to.

22. (Was)TrueBeginner - Us Listening to your piece I understand that you are not a true beginner any more. Well done!

I think it could be much sooner than that. I was about at your current level when I started lessons four years ago. Things move so much more quickly when you have a teacher to guide you, don't they?

Originally Posted By: zrtf90

but my preference would be to use a touch more control over the tempo or to reduce the pedal somewhat in the piu mosso to prevent the swirl of energy from becoming a maelstrom.

Didn't quite mean to make it that exciting! Thank you for your careful listening and thoughtful feedback. I tend to think it's the pedaling more than anything, as both you and jazzwee pointed out. (That's definitely one of my problem areas.)

Originally Posted By: Greener

I'm just working on this one myself.

If you end up recording it, I would love to hear it.

Originally Posted By: Pavel.K

It has about 190 measures I think....impressive!

Yes, that's about right, but about half of them are repeats, so it's not quite as daunting as it seems at first glance.

45 Copper GreensleevesFine job with this Copper. Thanks for sharing this very clean short and sweet interpretation. I look forward to hearing more from you.

46 Kenjazz My RomanceThis reminds me of my Dad's trio days which I miss immensely. A really fine sound here and some great playing, Ken. Sorry to inform you here though, that I sold the Vibes. I started to work out a chorus for “Days of Wine and Roses” but, I never finished or got it recorded. Now the Vibes are gone. I got a good buck for them and a replacement piano with the proceeds (it is a better use.) Sounds like you are doing just fine without me. Some really great material you always seem to be working on and is very inspiring.

47 PianoStudent88 No Walk TodayGood work PS88. I'm not (or wasn't rather) familiar with this work. Your efforts towards varying dynamics and your own interpretation is working very nicely. Some fine playing and enjoyable listening. Thanks for everything you contribute on the teaching side of the threads as well, PS88. I've certainly continue to learn a lot from you.

48 carlos88 Sarabande (from Pour le Piano)A very sophisticated work and very accomplished playing of it. Fine playing, Carlos and nicely done.

49 GrouchoMarx Prelude Op. 32 No. 123 years, really? Not sure I would be taking on a work like this after 40. Very encouraging for me to get busy. Really great stuff, GrouchoMarx.

50 BillM Georgia On My MindFabulous rendition of this classic, Bill. You've motivated me to brush up on this one myself now. Perhaps will post in the Bar some time. The singing though is beyond me. A really fabulous job you've done with this one, Bill.

51 Pavel.K Nocturne 21 in C minor posthVery pretty piece and nice choice Pavel. You are doing extremely well. Very well presented and some fine playing here. Good for you.

52 Allard To ZanarkandYou guys are amazing me with the quality of playing for the amount of time you've been at it. This is very well done, Allard. A very enjoyable listen.

53 MileHi Steve Stagg Brew A fine medley composition you've put together here Steve. It is a very full and rich sound and very pleasant listening. Nice work.

54 aTallGuyNHA very easily recognizable classic. This will be hit for you for sure. Really some fine playing and nice changes. Really well done, TG.55 Aimee O Sonatina in GA lovely piece to wrap up the recital with Aimee. Sounds like some very tricky elements with this and you've got it well in control. Really good work and fine playing Aimee.

Thank you to everyone for providing such fine performances. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to each and every one. And Thank you also for the kind and generous comments directed my way on the Schubert entry and putting up with the annoying squeaky pedal. No more of this will be forthcoming as the new (used) piano arrives tomorrow .

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2...It would have been nice to get this in the themed recital - I wouldn't have an issue with duplicates or missing pieces but it's not my project.

Nice idea but no, it will not be in the themed recital. I asked Wayne and Rostosky. Here's Wayne's response:

Originally Posted By: wayne33yrs

As these are so difficult and people have put a huge amount of time and effort into their pieces, I think submitting duplicate pieces would be unfair. If it was the piece I had been working on, I wouldn't be happy at all, so I hope you don't take offence If your offer is declined in this instance.

Rostosky
3000 Post Club Member
Registered: 04/30/11
Posts: 3339
Loc: Lost in cyberspace.in the UK.

Originally Posted By: wouter79

Originally Posted By: zrtf90

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2...It would have been nice to get this in the themed recital - I wouldn't have an issue with duplicates or missing pieces but it's not my project.

Nice idea but no, it will not be in the themed recital. I asked Wayne and Rostosky. Here's Wayne's response:

Originally Posted By: wayne33yrs

As these are so difficult and people have put a huge amount of time and effort into their pieces, I think submitting duplicate pieces would be unfair. If it was the piece I had been working on, I wouldn't be happy at all, so I hope you don't take offence If your offer is declined in this instance.

Wouter, this was a response given by wayne in a private message, and as such it should NOT have been posted up here in an open thread for the world to view without asking wayne first. It is not only a privacy issue but a courtesy one.Not cricket old chap, not cricket.

_________________________

Rise like lions after slumber,in unvanquishable number. Shake your chains to earth like dewwhich in sleep has fallen on you. Ye are many,they are few. Shelley

I don't really understand why you are pointing out that Wayne might have an issue with my post. I'm sure Wayne can discuss this himself with me if he has any problems with my posting of his reply. Also I don't see anything wrong with either my post or with Wayne's message.

I want to thank again everyone who listened to my piece, and everyone who commented. I am basking in the glow of compliments, and noting the comments for ways to improve for practice in my next pieces. Thank you all.

Originally Posted By: Saranoya

PianoStudent88 -- Ah, another piano for the 'could do with a tuning' bin! But that aside, thank you for the introduction to Khachaturian! It was lovely, and a little off the beaten path, which I always appreciate. This music sounds interesting. Worth exploring further!

I'm glad you liked it. I'm sorry to have subjected you to an out of tune piano. There will be more Khachaturian to come in future recitals. I'm really quite fond of his music.

Originally Posted By: SwissMS

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today A very interesting piece! It is mysterious and serious at the same time. I thought your interpretation worked well. Your variations in tempo worked well, and you kept the piece moving. Nice job!

"Mysterious and serious" -- that's a good way of describing several of the Khachaturian pieces in this selection. He also has some pieces that are mysterious and humourous.

Originally Posted By: jotur

47. Pianostudent88 - No Walk Today Very calming.

Glad to hear it! It's interesting, the harmonies in Khachaturian are often non-traditional, but he puts them together to very interesting effect.

Originally Posted By: BenPiano

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today - Well done, you nailed this one! I hear a lot about Khachaturian but have never tried a piece - perhaps next recital?

"Nailed it"! That's very nice to hear. I really like Khachaturian and think he's well worth exploring.

Originally Posted By: wouter79

47. PianoStudent88musical: overall impression, like: Nice piece. well played. Good use of pedal (I suppose they are written out and played as indicated?). Dynamics work nice. The staccato run sticks out too much, seems you play it too loud. Maybe you can make it a bit softer to better fit the rest. Overall increase in speed, I think this was not intended?Maybe you can bring out that melody just a little more. Nice dynamics particularly between 0:30 and 1:00.Phrasing: overall clear. The more detailed phrasings and measures are sometimes less clear, eg in the staccato run and the end (after 1:25). rubato, overall speed changes: gradually faster, a few slowdowns. The slowdowns are nice, the overall speedup makes less sense to me. Dynamics: yes, nicearticulation: most with pedal, staccato run without.

Thanks you for your detailed comments. They are always helpful to me. I still have this problem with an unperceived-by-me speedup which you have commented on in a few of my submissions. Grrrrrrr! Your comment on the over-loudness of the staccato run also picks out a common weakness of mine: playing f passages at fff. In my recent practicing I've taken this comment to heart and trying to interpret forte as "play somewhat louder" and not "whale on the piano for all you're worth"!

The pedal markings are actually very sparse in this piece, so most of the pedaling is my own creation.

Originally Posted By: casinitaly

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today Interesting piece – it was very clear that you’d worked on the dynamics. I think it is really neat that you are planning to present us with all the works in this collections. Well done!

I'm glad you could hear the dynamics. I was recently reading about some recorders which equalize the dynamics away, and suddenly I was worried about my recordings. Sounds like, by luck, I have got a non-auto-equalizing recorder.

Originally Posted By: zrtf90

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk TodayYou need have no fear of your technique falling apart while you're 'between teachers'. There are clear signs of continued progress. Your dynamic range has improved, I'm not sure how much you need to vary the speed. The pedal might be your next area of focus. I know once we start using it that pedalling becomes semi-automatic but it's worth paying attention to it after learning the notes and starting to introduce pedal to the mix.

There's a point at which the dampers are on and the pedal starts to take effect and there's a point at which the dampers are raised from every string. It's a small range of movement on most pianos and the only movement needed. It doesn't hurt to spend at least a short time on each piece working out exactly where the pedal goes on and off and practising the movement for co-ordination. Many times it isn't necessary but sometimes it can rescue a difficult passage and the change can be almost unnoticeable in damping strings while the current ones ring on and maintain an unbroken 'wall of sound' without disturbing or clouding the harmony.

I think you may be ready for better things before you get to presenting as much of this oeuvre as you're planning. Great job!

"No fear of [my] technique falling apart while ... between teachers" -- hooray! Thank you so much, this is very reassuring to hear. Thanks for the comment on pedal -- from your comment, I have started to pay attention to the depth of pedaling. So far I can't yet control it to the point of half-pedaling, but I can now avoid mashing it to the bottom of its range of motion.

Originally Posted By: peterws

47 A nicely done Pedestrian Piece . . .

I'm not sure about "Pedestrian", but I'll take "nicely done" . Thank you.

Originally Posted By: Sam S

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today I think you are definitely improving. The dynamic changes were great, especially the ends of the phrases.

I'm glad you liked the dynamic changes and heard the phrasing. It's nice to hear I am improving, although it's somewhat nerve-wracking. Every piece I submit I think I'm playing really well, and then I submit it and listen to the recording several times more and start to hear all sorts of flaws. I suppose I might ameliorate this by recording and listening to myself more often. Maybe that would even help me improve faster. Hmmmmmm. (Other people hate practicing scales and technique drills; I hate taking the time to record and listen to myself....)

Originally Posted By: Allard

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk TodaySounds vaguely familiar. Maybe just the main theme. Does the streaming player normalize away your changes in dynamics?

Hmmm, I don't know about the streaming player, not having listened to it. I'll take a listen on the next recital and see what I think.

Originally Posted By: Mr Super-Hunky

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today " I am learning to go beyond the bare notations of the score into musical interpretation and bringing the piece to life. " I couldn't possibly agree more. Very nicely done.

I'm glad you liked it. In the area of interpretation, I'm working on several pieces right now and it seems easier on some of them to become interpretive "beyond the score". It's interesting to learn for each piece what it wants that's not written in the score, or maybe what it wants in terms of everything you need already being in the score, or in the standard performance practice for that era. Maybe becoming wildly interpretive might be an avenue into me learning a bit of a feel of improvisation: taking notes that I have learned very well, and starting to really bend and shape and modify them. (Much as I hate memorization, I have to say that this is an approach that I can feel myself trying for memorized music rather than when I'm playing from the score.)

Originally Posted By: jazzwee

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today Very nice performance! Really enjoyable to listen to. You had a very even rhythm and really drove the music forward nicely. Maybe a little less pedal would sound better (relying more on finger legato).

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today I think your tempo adjustments sound very natural and overall the piece works very well. You shape some of the phrases carefully and retain a warmth even where there are a lot of repeated chords.

It's interesting, different reactions to the tempo adjustments. I'm glad you found the piece to work very well overall, and this gives me a reminder to continue working on shaping phrases. ("shape some of the phrases carefully" -- eek, what about the other phrases ?) Really, I appreciate your comments. It's interesting what you say about retaining warmth. This isn't something I'm particularly aware of or sure that I can hear, but it's good that whatever I'm doing produces warmth. I did spend time practicing the choreography and flow of my hand/wrist/arm movements on this; maybe that's what produces the warmth.

Originally Posted By: Monica K.

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today: This one also has a plaintive air, almost sad and mysterious. I’m beginning to think Khachaturian didn’t have a very happy childhood!

You know, I know very little about Khachaturian's life. The harmonies in this collection are indeed all wierd and mysterious. The next piece is definitely a slow sad piece; the piece after that is an allegro birthday song, but even that has mysterious harmonies: it's definitely not a simple major key birthday song.

Originally Posted By: CarlosCC

47. PianoStudent88 - This is my first contact with this Aram Khachaturian piece. I think it's a simple but nice melody. I like it. Congrats.

I'm glad you liked it. Making converts to the music of Khachaturian, one ABF Recital at a time, that's me .

Originally Posted By: Pavel.K

47 PianoStudent88 - Lovely performance. You are brave you are shaking off those score markings chains! :-)

Thanks for the compliment! It's interesting learning to be musical in ways that go beyond the bare information contained in the score. I think this is one of the things I have to work extra hard on, as I don't have an experienced music teacher (i.e. I don't have a teacher at all) to hear me and provide ideas from his/her greater experience of and sensitivity to music.

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today I like it! You did a good job with all of the dynamics.

Aha, glad my dynamics came through.

Originally Posted By: MaryBee

Because I'm attempting to be a little less analytical and more "feeling", as well as going for more holistic approach. And maybe because when I started this, I was a little hungry...

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today sour cherry pie

Very creative commments, and now I'm hungry !

Originally Posted By: Inlanding

47. PianoStudent88 - No Walk Today This is my first exposure to Khachaturian with these e-citals. You handle the voices quite nicely. You play with very relaxed hands and it shows in your music. Great work!

"Relaxed hands" -- this is very reassuring to hear, thank you. It's one of the things I learned from my 15 months with my teacher, so despite some of the ways in which I was frustrated with her teaching, this was one of several valuable things I learned that made the lessons worth it and for which I am grateful to her.

Originally Posted By: Greener

47 PianoStudent88 No Walk TodayGood work PS88. I'm not (or wasn't rather) familiar with this work. Your efforts towards varying dynamics and your own interpretation is working very nicely. Some fine playing and enjoyable listening. Thanks for everything you contribute on the teaching side of the threads as well, PS88. I've certainly continue to learn a lot from you.

I'm glad my interpretation comes through. You're welcome for the teaching side; I love being able to share what little I have learned about music and it is always enjoyable talking with you about music.